BESGroup Forum

The Bird Ecology Study Group has set up a BESGroup FORUM for members to post topics, comments, etc. Viewers are welcome to join by clicking the link above or that in the white box on the lower right of the screen and simply register. By joining and actively participating, we hope to enhance the forum quality and participation. Only by sharing can we not only hope to increase our knowledge of the birds around us but also to expand our understanding of bird behaviour and ecology.

Most, if not nearly all of us, are not practising ornithologists. As amateur birders, we would have a superficial knowledge of the birds flying around. There would be some who can claim to be familiar with most of Singapore's birds. Well and good. But to be able to ID the birds does not mean that we know them.

KC Tsang, a long time experienced birder, only yesterday posted to the group the now-famous quote of the American Physicist and Nobel Laureate, Richard Feynman (1918-1988):

"You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing - that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."

BESGroup hopes to strive to first know the name of the bird, then to actually get to know the bird. Only with the help of interested birders who report back their observations by posting in the forum, and ultimately in the blog, can we achieve our aim.

We posted the seemingly simple observation of Interspecific Interaction of Birds at Pasir Ris on 20th February 2006 by Lin Junying, a young birder. This attracted the attention of Mike, a seasoned American birder who runs 10,000 Birds to comment: "Very perceptive post! This really underscores the difference between looking at birds and really watching them."

What more can we say?

YC